West news briefs: Maple Plain celebrates its centennial

City celebrates its centennialMaple Plain will celebrate its centennial this weekend with a full day of special activities honoring its 100 years.

The community festival for the city, which was incorporated in 1912, will take place Saturday. It includes a 5K run and walk, farmer's market and craft fair, a classic car show, museum tours, fire department's waterball challenge, a community parade, bean bag tournament, beer garden, musical production by Orono High School and street dance. For a full list of events and details, go to www.mapleplain.com.

Warning siren system to be upgradedHennepin County's outdoor warning siren activation system will be upgraded, following an agreement that county commissioners approved last week.

The agreement with Embedded Systems Inc. will bring the county's system into compliance with new narrow-band requirements that the Federal Communications Commission has mandated for 25 kHz systems starting Jan. 1.

Many emergency response radio systems operate on 25 kHz radio channels, including the radios that help activate the county's outdoor warning system. The upgrades will be funded with grant money from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Training offered in braille transcriptionClasses on transcribing reading materials into braille will be offered at Volunteer Braille Services in Golden Valley starting, with an informational meeting on Sept. 18. Weekly instruction will begin the following week and run through March.

Students who successfully complete the course will be awarded a certification in Literary Braille Transcribing from the Library of Congress. For more information or to sign up, call Volunteer Braille Services at 763-544-2880 or e-mail vbsmn@comcast.net. All training materials and equipment are provided at no cost.

Police plan citizens academyThe South Lake Minnetonka Police Department will hold a citizen's police academy this fall, on Thursday nights starting on Sept. 13.

Topics to be covered include traffic enforcement, criminal investigations, narcotics enforcement, a tour of the Hennepin County 911 dispatch facility, a K9 demonstration, and a tour of the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department emergency operations center.

The class will meet from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and will run for 10 weeks, with the final class scheduled for Nov. 15.

Applicants must be at least 18 and live or work within the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department's jurisdiction. They also must pass a background check.

Contact Sgt. Mark Geyer at 952-474-3261 or go to www.southlakepd.com for an application. The deadline for applying is Sept. 10.

Free window replacement seminarThe Bloomington Housing and Redevelopment Authority is sponsoring a free seminar Thursday on how to install replacement windows.

The program, taught by Ken Modeen of Marvin Windows, will focus on best practices for installing wood- and aluminum-clad windows, including preparing the openings, building wraps and flashing. The session will end with a door prize drawing for Bloomington residents only, but the session is open to all.

The 7 p.m. presentation is at the Bloomington Civic Plaza Rehearsal Hall, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road. For more information, call Tom Holman at 952-563-8941 or go the www.ci.bloomington.mn.us using the keywords "HRA workshop."

Penn Lake library closed for renovationThe Penn Lake Library at 8800 Penn Av. S. has closed for renovation and will reopen in mid-September.

The building is getting a new heating and cooling system, new paint and carpeting in some areas, and is being reorganized. User requests to pick up materials are being switched to the Southdale Library until Penn Lake reopens.

Police sponsor blood driveThe Edina Police Department is sponsoring a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 as part of the Memorial Blood Center's "Battle of the Badges" challenge to Twin Cities fire and police departments. Those departments are competing to collect the most blood.

The drive will be held in the Council Chambers of Edina City Hall, 4801 W. 50th St. To donate in honor of the Edina police, register using sponsor code 0111 by calling 1-888-GIVEBLD or online at www.mbc.org.

According to the center, one out of every three people will need blood in their lifetime.

Nine Mile Watershed Board seeks applicantsHennepin County is seeking applicants for a vacancy on the Nine Mile Watershed District Board, which manages water and related land resources in a 50-square-mile area that drains into Nine Mile Creek.

Applicants must be a resident of the district, which includes portions of Hopkins, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Eden Prairie and Minnetonka. Members serve three-year terms. A background in water conservation, development, law, engineering, environment or public administration is helpful.

Applications must be in by Aug. 24. For more information and to apply online, go to www.hennepin.us/volunteering.

STAFF REPORT